Chapter 102: House Renovation, Orchard Welcomes Its First Wave of Guests

Mengmeng, always perceptive, noticed that Grandmother had finished her kiwi fruit. With her other hand, she grabbed another peeled kiwi from the bowl and handed it to Grandmother Wang Yuelan. “Grandmother, you have some too.”

“Oh, Mengmeng, don’t worry about me. You eat. Grandmother doesn’t need it; it’s all for you,” Wang Yuelan said, her heart full of joy, trying to persuade her.

But Mengmeng insisted, determined to see Grandmother eat it before she would be satisfied.

Holding her own kiwi, she took a big bite and, seeing only a small piece left, didn’t throw it away. Instead, she handed it to her father, Cao Shujie. “Daddy, you eat!”

Cao Shujie was taken aback. He never expected his daughter to remember his ‘special preference.’

This all started with Mengmeng eating strawberries.

When strawberries were sold out of season, they were quite expensive. Cao Shujie would buy some for his daughter, but he and his wife couldn’t bear to eat them themselves. They noticed Mengmeng only ate the red part of the strawberries, discarding the white part. Cheng Xiaolin, disliking the waste, joked, “Mengmeng, give the leftovers to your daddy.”

Mengmeng took this to heart. She never forgot it. Whenever she ate strawberries, she would quickly eat the red part and save the white part specifically for Cao Shujie.

What surprised Cao Shujie even more was that Mengmeng did the same with kiwis, leaving him the bottom part.

Though he didn’t want to accept it, Mengmeng was insistent. Seeing her determination, he had no choice but to take it and eat it. He looked at her seriously and said with a smile, “Mengmeng, you’re so filial!”

“Hee hee!” Mengmeng beamed with pride at the praise, leaving even more of the kiwi for Cao Shujie.

This scene made Cheng Xiaolin, who was eating a kiwi nearby, burst into laughter. Even Wang Yuelan and Cao Jianguo were bewildered.

After hearing the story from their daughter-in-law, they understood immediately. Cao Jianguo suggested, “Mengmeng, give those to Grandfather. Grandfather likes them.”

But Mengmeng shook her head and insisted loudly, “No, it’s for Daddy. Daddy likes them.”

Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help but ‘praise’ her, “Mengmeng, you’re such a good daughter!”

“I am!” Mengmeng shouted proudly.

That evening, Cao Shujie received a call from his sister, Cao Huifang. She had one thing to say, “Brother, your improved kiwis are amazing. My colleagues are fighting over them.”

“Fangfang, cut to the chase. What do you want?” Cao Shujie asked his sister.

Having grown up together, he knew that when his sister spoke sweetly, she usually had something up her sleeve.

Sure enough, she said, “Brother, if you have time, could you send me another 20 jin ? I want to take them to school for my classmates and teachers to try.”

“Wow, using my stuff to gain favor, you’ve got some nerve!” Cao Shujie teased her, but despite her protests, he eventually agreed to send them.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go to the post office early to send kiwis to our Grandfather. I’ll send some to you too,” he said.

Hearing his agreement, Cao Huifang was delighted. “Brother, you’re the best!”

“Fangfang, give me a break. I’m busy. That’s it,” Cao Shujie said, hanging up and tossing his phone aside, continuing to eat the kiwi leftovers from his daughter.

After finishing, Cao Jianguo remarked, “Shujie, with such delicious fruit, surely someone will come to buy it?”

“Dad, don’t worry. It’s just a matter of time,” Cao Shujie replied. “If no one buys them, I’ll keep delivering them. If Pingyuan County Town doesn’t work, I’ll try Yiling City. If that doesn’t work, I’ll head to the Provincial Capital.”

“Why don’t you just grow wings and fly?” Wang Yuelan teased him.

Cao Shujie didn’t argue. You’re my mother; whatever you say goes. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.

After the family finished their kiwis, they returned to their bedroom. Mengmeng, perhaps having eaten too much, lay on the bed, too lazy to move.

“Mengmeng, are you okay?” Cao Shujie asked, a bit worried seeing her so lethargic.

Mengmeng mumbled, unable to articulate anything. Cheng Xiaolin reassured him, “Don’t worry, she’s just full. I’ll rub her belly later to help her digest.”

She continued, “You go ahead. Weren’t you going to buy Bitcoin?”

“Alright, I’ll go outside,” Cao Shujie said, taking his laptop to the small room outside.

He opened his computer and logged into the BTC China Trading Platform, quickly checking his account information.

Over the past four days, he had been active, purchasing a total of 2,878 coins, spending 81,665.9 yuan.

This price wasn’t high at all. If history stayed on course, ten years later, he could sell even one coin and not only recover his investment but also have a surplus.

Everything beyond that would be pure profit!

“Wow!” Cao Shujie felt a secret thrill. This behind-the-scenes maneuvering gave him a god-like feeling of control.

Today, for some reason, the trading price skyrocketed from an average of 28 yuan per coin to 34.6 yuan, costing him significantly more.

This over 24% price increase stirred the previously quiet market, with many believing that BTC’s decline was about to hit rock bottom, and a reversal with further growth was imminent.

However, some argued it was just a temporary rally, trapping newcomers before another sharp drop.

But for a BTC Warrior like Cao Shujie, who had ‘faith,’ it didn’t matter. He continued to enthusiastically place orders.

Every successful order brought him joy, and he would excitedly calculate how much he could earn if the price reached 200,000 yuan per coin, or even 300,000 yuan per coin.

There were too many people trying to grab the order. After securing 461 coins, he decisively stopped and looked at his account, which now had 3,339 coins. The 500,000 yuan he had previously topped up still had over 400,000 remaining. Spending all that money seemed like a long journey ahead, so he decided to go to sleep.

After shutting down the computer, Cao Shujie returned to the bedroom, wrapped his arms around his wife, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

…

August 2nd, the third day of the seventh lunar month!

Around 5 a.m., Cao Shujie’s biological clock woke him up again.

His wife lay in his arms, and though he wanted to sleep a bit longer, he wasn’t the least bit sleepy.

He decided to get up and pack the kiwis he was sending to his sister and grandfather, writing the address on a piece of paper. Then he took his four dogs, who were also just waking up and full of energy, out for a walk in the mountains.

Taking them up the mountain for a patrol at this time had become a habit for Cao Shujie. He greeted passersby, many of whom would smile and ask, “Are you working today? If so, just give us a shout.”

However, seeing Daha and Erha’s fierce demeanor, no one dared to linger and chat.

As he reached the mountain, before he even started his patrol, his phone rang. It was a call from Cao Tiemin, and he guessed it was likely related to renovations.

Answering the call, he heard, “Shujie, I’m bringing people and materials over today to start your renovations. Is that okay?”

Cao Shujie replied directly, “Come on over, I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Alright, I’ll call you when I reach Cao Family Village.” After hanging up, Cao Tiemin had someone drive the materials and workers toward Cao Family Village.

Cao Shujie and his four dogs hadn’t finished their round in the orchard when Cao Tiemin called again. Upon answering, Cao Tiemin said, “I’m at your new house, come over.”

“Wait a bit, I’m walking the dogs on the mountain. Why don’t you come up and pick some apples?” Cao Shujie suggested, seeing that Daha and Erha were still full of energy and not ready to head down.

Hearing this, Cao Tiemin drove up the mountain to the orchard.

When he saw Cao Shujie, dressed in gray shorts and a T-shirt with brown sandals, holding four dogs walking in circles, he was impressed.

“Shujie, is this what you do every day now?” Cao Tiemin felt an urge to kick him out of jealousy.

Yet, as soon as that dangerous thought emerged, Daha’s wolf-like head turned, its blue eyes staring unblinkingly at Cao Tiemin, exuding a sense of danger.

“Howl!”

Daha howled at Cao Tiemin, freezing him in place.

“Damn, is this dog possessed?” Cao Tiemin felt embarrassed that a dog’s gaze had intimidated him, prompting him to complain.

Cao Shujie smirked, “You must have been cursing me in your heart, and Daha saw right through you.”

“Get lost!” Cao Tiemin couldn’t admit he had thought of kicking Cao Shujie. He quickly added, “Hold onto the leash.”

“No worries, Daha doesn’t bite,” Cao Shujie assured him.

Seeing Cao Tiemin’s disbelief, Cao Shujie commanded, “Daha, sit and stay!”

Daha obediently sat down, staring at Cao Tiemin with its tongue hanging out, completely still.

“Shujie, why do you have so many dogs? How about giving me two to help you out?” Despite his fear, Cao Tiemin genuinely liked the dogs.

As soon as he finished speaking, the four dogs started barking and howling, creating a cacophony that made Cao Tiemin feel like he had stirred up a hornet’s nest.

He dared not say more, fearing that if he continued, he might actually get bitten.

After about twenty minutes, the two of them descended the mountain together.

Passing by the old orchard, they saw vines laden with kiwis larger than goose eggs and apples the size of adult fists. Cao Tiemin asked, “Shujie, are these the kiwis you sent me?”

“Yes, all of them. Want to take a look inside?” Cao Shujie suggested, “It’s quite impressive from the inside.”

“Let’s leave it for today. Let’s settle the renovation first. I’ll have plenty of time to visit later.”

As they descended, the fragrance of the fruit wafted in the air, and Cao Tiemin couldn’t help but wonder, “I thought it wasn’t kiwi season yet. How come yours ripened so early? Did you use chemicals or hormones?”

“Get lost, or I’ll really let the dogs loose on you,” Cao Shujie warned, glaring at him and ready to release the leash.

Daha and Erha, sensing the support, barked a few times in warning.

Cao Tiemin was scared enough to consider running.

When they reached the bottom of the mountain and headed toward the house, Cao Tiemin asked, “Shujie, your kiwis are ripe. Why haven’t you contacted fruit vendors to sell them?”

“Leaving them on the tree too long will just make them rot!”

Cao Shujie smiled slightly and said, “It’s not time yet, no need to rush.”

Hearing this, Cao Tiemin didn’t press further.

Arriving at the two-story building, they went inside together. Cao Tiemin checked if the walls had dried, and after a while, he smiled, “Not bad, almost dry. We’ll start today.”

“Alright, go ahead. If there’s anything, give me a call. We’ll settle the payment at the end,” Cao Shujie said.

Cao Tiemin gestured ‘OK’ with his hand and had the van driven into the courtyard to unload the renovation tools and materials. He also contacted suppliers for the pre-ordered floor tiles, cement, and sand, urging them to deliver to Qingshi Town, Cao Family Village.

…

Meanwhile, Lian Qijian and four friends from the same neighborhood drove from Pingyuan County Town to Qingshi Town, Cao Family Village.

Lian Qijian’s aunt lived nearby, so he didn’t need navigation and could find his way with his eyes closed.

However, upon reaching the village entrance, he was unsure where ‘Brother Jie’s’ orchard was.

He parked by the roadside and called his cousin Cao Zhen to get Cao Shujie’s phone number.

After texting Cao Shujie’s number to his cousin, Cao Zhen realized he hadn’t informed Cao Shujie to look after his cousin.

When he finally remembered to call Cao Shujie, he found the line was busy.

“Qijian sure called quickly,” Cao Zhen muttered.

Since that was the case, he decided not to interfere further. After all, Cao Shujie knew his cousin.

…

Cao Shujie, who was watching Cao Tiemin work on the renovations, hadn’t expected that just five days after sending out the kiwi fruit, he would receive his first wave of visitors. To his surprise, they were acquaintances.

Then again, he had initially sent the kiwis to people he knew, so it wasn’t unexpected.

Cao Shujie was quite attentive to Lian Qijian and his group’s arrival, even considering giving them a discount.

After giving Lian Qijian the address, it wasn’t long before Cao Shujie heard the sound of a car horn outside.

“Tiemin, I’m stepping out for a moment.”

“Go ahead, don’t worry about the work,” Cao Tiemin replied.

When Cao Shujie stepped outside, he saw a Volkswagen Passat parked nearby. Judging by the model, it was a new release from this year.

He thought to himself, “They must be doing quite well!”

As the car approached, Lian Qijian got out and called, “Hello, Brother Jie.”

Besides him, there were four other young people in the car, all around the same age.

Cao Shujie had met him once before, and being young themselves, they weren’t strangers. “Qijian, what brings you here?”

“Brother Jie, your kiwi fruit was so delicious. I was bored at home and thought I’d come over to pick some to take back,” Lian Qijian said straightforwardly.

(End of Chapter)